Personalizing Psychotherapy: Assessing and Accommodating Patient Preferences

Blending empirical research and clinical expertise into easy-to-read advice, Drs. John Norcross and Mick Cooper offer multiple strategies for routinely assessing preferences as they evolve over the course of therapy, focusing primarily on strong likes and dislikes.

They describe multiple tools for rapidly and reliably measuring preferences in session, including their Cooper-Norcross Inventory of Preferences (C-NIP).

Four key strategies for accommodating a client's preferences are explored in depth: adopting them into treatment, adapting the therapist's approach, exploring alternative preferences, and referring the patient to another practitioner if necessary.

The authors describe the limitations of personalization and how to avoid common errors, such as therapists assuming they know what clients want. Training and supervision strategies are also featured.

Clinical cases and patient-therapist dialogues demonstrate how to evaluate and integrate client preferences in a respectful, ethical, and professional manner that leads to enhanced alliances and improved outcomes.